Posted on 05/05/2017 11:36:31 AM PDT by kevcol
A man is suing American Airlines for $100,000 after he was crushed by two obese passengers during a 14-hour flight and left with permanent back and neck injuries.
Michael Anthony Taylor, 67, claims airline staff refused to let him change seats on the flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, despite his desperate pleas to move.
The Wollongong man says he was forced to crouch, kneel, brace and stand throughout the lengthy flight, which also aggravated his existing condition of curvature of the spine.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Asian A/Ls, at least, probably would be accommodating if possible. It is harder now than 15 years ago because back then planes- at least the ones that fly across the Pacific- flew with some empty seats in the back. It has been several years since I was on one that had any empty seats at all. They sell out all the seats.
I get my tickets to VN way ahead on line at the discount rates and the difference between Economy and 1st is between maybe $900 and $4500.
Now ever FReeper who flies..... COBOL2Java, you too, have a serious question about this....
Is the passenger really too big or the seats too small? Yes that’s an Alice in Wonderland mental mind warp but I’m serious!
Indeed!
Okay, the synopsis said he was between two obese passengers. But the body of the article claims he was in a window seat.
I fly a bit. The seats are too small.
People are also fat. That is a deadly combination.
Okay this is what I’ve heard.
The seats are too small, too cramped in. If the person in front reclines it comes in you, if you have your tray down and are trying to eat or do something. There is no leg room to put your feet out. Something about certain passengers getting something called embolism in their legs on long flights? With all this some airlines are talking of making the spaces smaller.
All that is true.
From a business angle, I understand the desire to cram as many passengers in as possible. From a passenger angle, I want more space at a reasonable price. I suspect the two desires are beginning to come together. I know I do not look for the cheapest flights. The lowest prices are usually a trap for an awful flight.
When I search for flights, I do a lot of research. I look at the seat configurations. I look at the airline and their history of customer service. I look for flight amenities. I research the airports I will be passing through. I look carefully at my layover times (1 hour at the Tokyo airport is NOT ENOUGH TIME to make the next flight). I also look at price. I do pay more for a better flight.
My flights take around 50 hours. It involves, usually, five legs of flights. There is a myriad of things to take into consideration.
Stuck between Rosie O’Donnell and Michael Moore would be a nightmare.
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